What is the state of the art for school food service for 2013? With all of the changes, developments, regulations, media coverage and student comments over the past year, it’s a great time to recap that very topic as it relates to the food service program at Dell Rapids. Bottom-line – school meals are better than ever and the program at Dell Rapids is state of the art.

New menu items almost every month. The culinary team at Lunchtime Solutions is constantly working on recipes, new menu items and adjustments to existing recipes. Regulations are continuing to evolve for sodium content, and your program is ahead of the curve on that. The goal is to meet the regulations (we already have) while delivering great flavor in the items served. New menu items are highlighted in a special menu box.

Whole grain rich items. Menus are transitioning to all grain items being whole grain rich. Bread bakers and anyone in the business of manufacturing grain items has been working hard to develop tastes and textures of whole grain items that match up with what students want for softness and flavor. The improvements have been dramatic in the last couple years. Tortillas, breads and buns we bake in the kitchen, cereals and even cookies are now made with whole grains, and students are adapting to this healthy change very well.

Fruits and vegetables. The program at Dell Rapids was far ahead of the regulation curve with fruits and vegetables as students have had unlimited servings of 10 to 12 choices every day for over 10 years. In the past few years, locally grown producers have stepped in to provide the freshest possible for the Farmers Market Selections program featured once per month on the menu.
More special menu days. Beginning this year, there are special menu days not just for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but for Homecoming, Halloween and other days as well. These special menu days feature great menu item choices that go with the theme of the day, and add some additional fun and excitement to the program. More reason to participate in school lunch, and that is the goal of your program – to have the most students possible getting the nutritional and educational benefits of a healthy, great tasting school lunch.

Responsive and responsible customer service. Deb Emmert is the food service director at Dell Rapids and she understand customer service as it relates to students and families. Complete satisfaction in not just the goal, it is how we go about every day. Emmert is supported by a team at Lunchtime Solutions including our culinary team, Corporate Chef Keith Nelson, regional manager Tam Edgar and a group at the corporate office in North Sioux City, S.D. that handle many of the details of the operation and allow Emmert to focus on student satisfaction.